Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
AMDG+
July 2, 2009
Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Gn 22:1b-19
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied..
Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering
on a height that I will point out to you.”
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,
set out for the place of which God had told him.
On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
Then he said to his servants: “Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you.”
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering
and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
“Father!” he said.
“Yes, son,” he replied.
Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
“Son,” Abraham answered,
“God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.”
Then the two continued going forward.
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,
“Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.
“Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.”
Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing(all this because you obeyed my command.”
Abraham then returned to his servants,
and they set out together for Beer-sheba,
where Abraham made his home.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your kindness, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia..
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone who trusts in them.
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;
he is their help and their shield.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 9:1-8
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
:Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
Reflection
Forgiveness is a balm of healing to the soul, which should constantly remind us of God’s grace as He affords us another chance in life.
True forgiveness begins with Christ, as it is in Him that our need for forgiveness is eternally satisfied. It is in Christ that we find instant and complete forgiveness for our sin and the freedom from shame, guilt and remorse as we are transformed.
When Jesus said, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'?” what came to my heart was the question, which is easier to do, forgive others or forgive oneself?
Forgiving one’s own sinfulness is not a present day dilemma as this has been with man since the beginning of time. If Saint Peter had to face the problem of forgiving himself, all of us should have this in our hearts. Peter denied Jesus three times in the most hurting circumstances. He denied Jesus at a moment in His life when Jesus somehow needed a friend. After he assured Jesus that he will never leave him and forsake him, he had to turn around and leave Jesus.
I could only imagine how bothered Peter was and what he had to do to learn to forgive himself for not being true to his word, a coward and a fair weather friend. Saint Paul likewise grappled with his own version of forgiveness for oneself as he was so consumed with the task of eradicating from people's minds any remains of that person they called Jesus. He was bent in doing everything he could to destroy the Lord's church.
Many of us suffer from our failure to forgive ourselves. We struggle in forgiving ourselves for things we did in the past. But for us to be free and be with our Lord, we need to untie the emotional knots that cripple us. We need to learn to forgive ourselves so that God and His Spirit may freely dwell in us.
Emotionally, spiritually, and physically, we must act, and believe that we are forgiven so that we may be able to forgive ourselves. In order for forgiveness to be something that we can share with others, we first must learn to forgive ourselves by accepting what God has done for us.
If we are able to forgive ourselves, God’s transforming grace will be upon us. In time we will slowly be changed, and traces of His goodness, His holiness and His love will be with us, to grow in us.
Direction
Take steps to forgive one self.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to forgive myself and to move forward with my life. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.
